Theodicy or Fallacy? Suffering in a world of a loving God.
Key verse(s)/quote(s):
“Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If he wants to, but cannot, he is impotent. If he can, but does not want to, he is wicked. If God can abolish evil, and God really wants to do it, why is there evil in the world?” - Epicurus, as quoted in “2000 Years of Disbelief”
“Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” - Job 38:1-4
“Then Job answered the LORD : “I am unworthy — how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.” - Job 40:3-5
Key takeaway(s):
- Humanity continually wishes to usurp God’s role as sole judge.
- God’s sovereignty demonstrated by His role as Creator is a continual reminder that the created (humans) cannot have the same wisdom as the Creator.
- Suffering can be used by God even if we can’t understand its purpose. His ways are higher than ours. (Isaiah 55:9)
- Worrying or complaining or questioning God = epic logic fail = epic faith fail
Overview:
As the scale of calamity increases for any disastrous event, humanity seems to have a reflex to thrust a finger heavenward in a fit of “righteous anger”. Every time …
Is there any proof of God’s existence? If God does exist, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?
Question:
Is there any proof of God’s existence? If God does exist, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?
Answer:
I wanted to share a clip of a 100 Huntley St. episode featuring my good friend and Christian Apologist Rev. Tony Costa. It is a concise look at answering some deeper questions that perhaps you have pondered or been asked by others.
Tony does a great job at briefly highlighting the rationale for God’s existence by pointing to the intricacy of the universe, the concept of “Creatio ex nihilo” (creation out of nothing), and the implications of absolute morals. He goes on to discuss how the Christian worldview approaches the concept of suffering and how through suffering God can be glorified - most evident when we observe the convergence of suffering and pain on Jesus Christ. Lastly, Tony touches upon the uniqueness of Christianity in comparison to other religious worldviews.
This is me sharing about what is running through my mind…
God Bless,
- Sumair
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